New hardiness maps are out

Pat:
I was at a meeting last month with the Asst. Director for USDA-ARS
(Agricultural Research Service). I chided them about the absurb way in
which the new hardiness map was being ruined (i.e. omitting 20 years of
data and deleting 50% of the temperate zones). The Asst. Director was
furious upon hearing this and went on to explain that they had only funded
the project, which was to be completed by AHS (American Horticulture
Society). As many of us already knew, this was only a publicity stunt by a
former director of AHS. I view this fiasco as one of the greatest
disasters in American horticulture...just ahead of the ridiculous heat zone
map that was also publiched by AHS. Wilmington NC would now in the same
zone as Washington DC. If anything should have been changed, it should
have been to double the number of zones. I guess us nurserymen should be
happy as we will certainly be selling more plants to the wrong zones and
having many more plants to die due to this poor zone information.
Our contact at USDA-ARS assured me that any copies of the new map would be
labeled as "working copies". USDA will be working to try and get this
ridiculous new map corrected. I hope this helps shed some light on the new
map. Everyone who agrees should email the American Horticulture Society
and demand that this project be halted immediately.
At 09:50 AM 6/2/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>I thinkk the new maps need a redoing. The Carolinas are a mess the old map
>was better.
>
>Pat
>
>_______________________________________________
>pbs mailing list
>pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
>http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php
>
Tony Avent
Plant Delights Nursery @
Juniper Level Botanic Garden
9241 Sauls Road
Raleigh, NC 27603 USA
Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F
Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F
USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
email tony@plantdelights.com
website http://www.plantdel.com/
phone 919 772-4794
fax 919 772-4752
"I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least
three times" - Avent